Irrational Decisions
by Mentality at its Worst
Summary: Something I call a "moment in time" fic--Phoenix and Mia have a heated argument during a trial recess. Maybe one-shot. I don't know.


Well. This is for someone who knows who he is and what it is for. That is all.

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**Irrational Decisions**

As it stood, it was turning out to be a cold, lengthy trial for the defense.

"What the hell?! You can't withhold evidence on us like that!"

The prosecutor merely flashed a devilish smile as he chuckled, "Miss Fey, I have withheld no evidence—it is being properly presented in this court just as evidence should be."

Phoenix and Mia, having taken form from Maya, glared dangerously from across the room. This was looking rather nasty for them. Mia silenced herself abruptly and began rethinking the situation. Phoenix, on the other hand, had so much fight in him that he raised an objection.

"I think you should try to prove to the court just what exactly that canister has to do with this supposed 'witness' of yours!" he belted, his hands firmly gripping the desk in front of him.

"Phoenix!" Mia snapped, "don't argue with him."

Phoenix was completely taken aback. He did not understand what on earth was going on through the chief's head, she was full of fire only minutes ago and now she was…_abandoning_ the situation?

Another witness was to be called and Mia bit her lip. An echoed bang from the gavel signified a brief recess to discuss their next course of action. Phoenix stumbled out of the courtroom, head spinning, and completely on edge, willing to do whatever it took to clear the defendant's name. Mia calmly followed behind him and when they were alone, he looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Mia, why did you just drop it in there? We could have had him, I know it," Phoenix asked, quite perplexed at her previous actions.

"Phoenix, we don't have anything to fight with," she said, which made Phoenix's eyes widen in disbelief, "I'm sorry to say it, but we don't. The best we can do in this position is to back off and wait."

"That can't be true—it isn't! We have all that evidence, we fought so hard for it, Maya and I!"

"It doesn't matter, Phoenix. Not when the prosecution is playing games like he is."

She had to be joking, right? Not after all that hard work they had gone through, there had to be _something_ they could do—anything!

"Phoenix, listen. I've been in this position before…despite the lack of connection this upcoming witness actually has, he _will _make this witness the final blow if you don't tread carefully--"

"Which is why we should be acting _now_, Mia!"

"No, it isn't! We can't fight with nothing. We're in a position where we wait and the moment we find something legitimate to fight about, _that_ is when we act," Mia sternly responded. She could see he did not quite understand what she meant, but she was trying whatever she could to try to keep his head cool until he could see where she was going with this.

It really was not working.

"The whole case is something worth fighting about! If I don't get in there and fight for what I believe in, my client's innocence, what's going to happen to her?!" Phoenix almost yelled, which startled Mia for a moment before she put a hard face back on.

"Keep yourself under control, Wright. This isn't over, but what point are you going to prove marching yourself in there and causing a huge chaotic mess? Sometimes you have to go about doing things a different way, whether you like it or not. You can't rush head-on into something all the time, you have to lay off and play your cards when the hand is right, isn't that right? Where is the Phoenix that thought these things through?"

Phoenix bit his lip hard and looked away from her. "I don't know where he is, Mia, but he's gone. He makes too many senseless mistakes, and this new Phoenix is tired of everyone trying to tell him what to do," when he looked back at her, his eyes reflected a harder side to him that she had never seen before--one that actually scared her, and one that made her feel like she was losing him as he continued, "and I can't take trying for everyone only to find out that I did everything wrong again. I don't want to improve for the world and be a perfect image, I just want to go on and fight for what I believe is right."

She could feel something hard in the pit of her stomach, and she could also feel Maya wanting to come back to light. She put forth all the power she had to hold her younger sister back a little longer and she tried to keep her own self under control as her eyes flashed a deadly but flustered look at him.

"I…I can't _believe_ you. Since when did you get the idea that this job was about selling yourself?! This isn't about making you look good for the world, it is about helping people and feeling good about it. And quite frankly, I'm hurt and utterly appalled at the way you're speaking to me after all I've been trying to do to _help_ you! But I suppose if we're having ourselves a nice self-pity trip, I guess I should join in by saying that I don't even know why _I _even bothered to help _you_ when I first met you!" Mia snapped.

His eyes widened. Did she really mean that? This was Mia, the Mia he knew who taught him to believe in his clients' innocence and fight for it, and she had helped him so long ago. In fact, it seemed to had been the start of a great friendship, both being able to depend on each other long since after they had started working together.

And according to her, she was trying to help him right now. Yet in his eyes she was practically pulling out of the ring and telling him to go with her…which meant _what_ for the defendant? She voiced an idea to 'sit on the fence' and wait for an opportunity, but something felt so right about just going in right now and giving it all they had.

This appeared to be confusing on both ends—though now when he paid attention to her, he could see it in her face that she genuinely was upset. He had been a lawyer long enough by now to see it even in his old boss, how she tried to mask the hurt with an angry front, her fiery eyes shaking, and she clutched her arms tighter as she crossed them. He knew Mia, she was not going to break down in front of him, she had so much pride, and she stood up for what she believed in as well…however, differently than he at times.

After a long silence between them, she spoke, "I don't understand why you're so angry, Phoenix. I'm on your side, of all things, but I feel like you've left me. I've given you an option you should consider, but you've dismissed it before even thinking about it. The only reason why I even tried to help you and give it to you to begin with is because as I've said, I've been in a situation like this…and it didn't go well."

He raised his eyebrows. She kept her stare.

"I took the same course of action as you when I shouldn't have. It nearly cost me everything. It hurts to fall, Phoenix. It hurts to feel like you've failed, and that you've got nothing. I only care about you enough to try to help you avoid making the same mistakes as me…because it would hurt me to see you go through something like I did."

There was silence between them again. She had nothing more to say and he just had no idea what to say.

"…Mia…" Phoenix had started, but as soon as he did the bailiff came around the corner to usher them back into the courtroom. Phoenix closed his mouth and walked back in silently, and gave a surprised look at Mia as she followed him in.

'_Regardless of what you think, I haven't left your side. If it comes down to it, I will do things in a different way than you but if you fall, I will too. I just don't want Maya to see how this goes if that happens…_' were Mia's final thoughts before the doors to the courtroom slammed shut behind them.

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...that's all I have to say.

I might add another chapter.

I might not.


End file.
